By Khrystyna Stetsiv
As a part of the #Enough! National School Walkout on March 14, Nicholas Senn High School students walked out of their classrooms to protest gun violence.
The protest was in response to the Parkland, Florida school shooting on February 14.
During the protest, students carried signs and megaphones as they marched to raise awareness about school safety and to call for stricter gun laws.
“I feel strongly about regulating and controlling gun laws, especially due to the recent school shootings, and I feel as if my security is threatened,” said Senn student Briyana Mata.
“I also wanted to support my classmates who assembled the walkout. Everybody needed to come out in order to make a clear stance. I felt really proud of my school during the protest.”
Meitav Aaron, one of the organizers, told the Sun-Times that the walkout was not only to push for gun control, but also in memory of the victims of mass shootings.
“The victims of the epidemic that is gun violence in America are not just some cold statistic, some sad number,” Aaron said. “They were people. They were not mere numbers, but someone’s whole world.”
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Ill. told the Sun-Times that Illinois was the first state to respond to the shooting with action.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Illinois lawmakers sent gun control bills to Governor Bruce Rauner during the student walkout.
This was not the first walkout for Senn.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Senn students walked to the Edgewater neighborhood office of U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky on March 2, demanding her action towards gun reform.
